Using the LZV100 as a booster unit only is neither a recommended nor a supported application of the LZV100 by Lenz.

Making internal changes to the LZV100 will void your warranty.

LZV100 Command Station

The core of the DIGITAL plus Set-90 and Set-100 professional grade systems is the Command Station LZV100. It coordinates the input devices (Hand Held Controller LH100, LH90, XPA, etc.) and is also responsible for generating the NMRA DCC signal and general data processing. Information is exchanged between Command Station and input devices via a 4-wire cable, XpressNET. The Command Station generates the control signals which are fed to one or more Power Stations (boosters) , which combines them with the necessary power and sends them to locomotive and accessory decoders.

The LZV100 Command/Power Station has a full 5 amp built in power station. boosted output to connect to tracks. Accordingly it only needs a small transformer (15VA), which could be one you already have from a starter set. If you use a more powerful transformer, you can connect the Command Station and the Power Station to the same transformer. Please note however that a minimum of 13 volts AC or 16 volts DC is necessary to power the LZ100. If you are using a full complement of 30 XpressNET devices, the input power should be raised to a minimum of 30 VA.

Connecting the LZV100

The DIGITAL plus LZV100 units has 4 removable multi-pin connectors with screw terminals, to make connecting wires easy. The back of the LZV100 that contains all the connections is shown below.

On the lower left hand side of the LZV100 is a 5 pin green connector used for connecting the LZV100 to the transformer and the track.

The LZV100 command/power station is connected to the AC output of the transformer with 2 wires at terminals U and V. The track is connected to terminals J and K Use only wire of sufficient gauge to connect to the tracks (minimum 18 gauge) and either use parallel wires or twist the wires to reduce radio interference. Power and track are all the connections necessary to operate trains. Simply plug your handheld into the XpressNETsocket and enjoy operating trains.

A fifth connection (actually represented as an upside down "T") on the power plug is the power station ground. This optional connection can be used in some wiring schemes to form a common between power stations.

Terminals C and D transmit the data signal needed should you ever need additional Power Stations (LV102) to expand your DCC power. If no additional power stations are needed then no further connection is needed using this plug. These terminals are connected with the corresponding terminals on the Power Station with a twisted pair wire (see Figure 2). You can easily make a twisted pair wire from two normal single wires that you twist together. The LZV100 provides up to 300 mA of power for the XpressNet and the power Station Interface allowing you to operate up to 30 Digital plus by Lenz power stations.

The terminal E connection between to the LZV100 is optional. If terminal E on the Command Station is connected to terminal E on the auxiliary Power Station, the Power Station is able to provide feedback about overloads. If an overload occurs and terminal E is connected, the Command Station will then turn off all other Power Stations and send the corresponding information to Hand Held Controllers and other input devices. You can also use a pushbutton to connect terminal E to connection M. This allows the push button to be used as a layout emergency stop.

The LZV100 has a separate outputs for service mode programming. This allows the user to have full read/write capability to any decoder. Connect the programming track to terminals P and Q. This track must be completely isolated from the rest of the layout.

The feedback bus is used for advanced layout control functions. Via these wires, which also must be a twisted pair, the Command Station asks for the state of, for example, turnouts or track occupancy detectors. For this purpose, feedback units are connected to this (Accessory Decoder with Feedback LS100 or Feedback Encoder LR101). For more details on connecting these units, please refer to the respective manuals. If used the feedback bus is connected at terminals R and S.

The LMAB plug is designed for more permanent XpressNet connections. The wires at terminals A and B, are used to exchange data, the wires at terminals L (plus) and M (minus) are used to supply power with the XpressNet devices. The LZV100 provides 300 mA of power for both the XpressNet and the Power Station Interface. If additional power is needed to power XpressNet devices you can add auxiliary 12 volt regulated DC power to the L and M lines. For more information on wiring XpressNet see Installing XpressNet (p.24) later in this manual. The optional 5-pin Din connection allows you to easily plug in one XpressNet device with no further wiring. Should your XpressNet ever develop a wiring problem, you can unplug the LMAB plug and use the Din Connection to check out your system. If desired the entire XpressNet can also plug into this socket.

Data transfer between Command Station and input devices

The connecting wires from Command Station LZV100 to the input units, for instance Hand Held Controller LH100, or the Interface, are referred to as XpressNET.

Via this bus the Command Station and connected devices exchange information. A maximum of 30 devices are allowed on XpressNET. Each of the connected units has its own address, so that data exchange is problem-free. The protocol for XpressNET is in the public domain.

Directions for how to change the address of Hand Held Controller LH100 or another input device on XpressNET are found in the corresponding manuals.

XpressNET can be connected to the Command Station via either a 5-pin DIN connector or terminals L, M, A and B. You can connect the first Hand Held Controller directly to the 5-pin DIN connector on Command Station LZ100.

If you want to connect additional Hand Held Controller LH100 (or other input devices) to Command Station LZ100, then you use terminals L, M, A and B. Via the wires at terminals A and B, the units exchange data with the Command Station. Via the wires at terminals L (plus) and M (minus) the units are supplied with power.

From these terminals you run wires (XpressNET ) to the connecting panels. You can also solder the wires yourself to a female 5-pin DIN connector. These connectors are readily available in electronics stores.

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